‘Sharm Karo Yaar’: Mohammed Shami Thrashes Hasan Raza Over Bizarre Cheating Claims In World Cup 2023
World Cup 2023: Hasan Raza had made bizarre claims alleging that India were given different balls because of which they were able to swing it. Mohammed Shami has now responded to the same.
Indian fast bowler Mohammed Shami has responded to accusations by former Pakistani cricketer Hasan Raza, who alleged that India used different balls to bowl during the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023. Shami expressed his disappointment on Instagram and suggested that Raza should not be envious of India's success but instead focus on the game.
India have remained undefeated in the ongoing ICC Men’s World Cup 2023, winning all eight of their matches and securing a spot in the semi-finals. On the other hand, Hasan Raza has made a series of allegations on a Pakistani TV show called ABN Sports.
Raza's initial claim was that the ICC and BCCI were favouring the Indian team by providing them with different balls than other teams. This accusation arose after India's dominant performance against Sri Lanka, where they bowled out the opposition for just 55 runs while defending 357 runs. Mohammed Shami played a crucial role, taking 5/18 in that match.
His second allegation followed India's victory over South Africa by 243 runs in Kolkata. Raza claimed that the BCCI was manipulating the Decision Review System (DRS) in India's favour, referencing a controversial LBW decision involving Heinrich Klaasen.
‘ICC World Cup Hai Apka Local Cricket Tournament Nahi’: Shami
In response, Mohammed Shami delivered a clear message, calling on the expert from Pakistan to show some humility and redirect his attention towards their own team's performance. He stressed the significance of acknowledging the accomplishments of other teams and avoiding baseless allegations against a globally recognized tournament organised by the International Cricket Council (ICC).
"Sharm karo yaar game par focus karo na ki faltu bakwas par kabhi to dusre ki success ko enjoy kia karo, Chii yaar ICC World Cup hai apka local cricket tournament, nahi hai or aap player hi the naa," Shami wrote in his Instagram story which loosely translates to: "Have some shame. Focus on the game instead of such stupid discussions. Enjoy someone else's success for once. This is an ICC event, not a local tournament. Were you a player?)."
Shami also pointed out Raza's former player status, implying that he should give more weight to the advice of cricket legends like Wasim Akram, who hails from the same country as Raza. He sarcastically noted that Raza appeared more focused on self-promotion than heeding the guidance of a Pakistani cricket icon.
"Wasim bhai ne samjhaya hai explain kia tha phir bhi. Apne player, apne Wasim Akram par yakin nahi apko apna tarif karne main lage hai janab aap to just like a wow," further stated Shami which
Hasan Raza continued to fuel the conspiracy with controversial remarks on the Pakistani TV show, suggesting that India was using suspicious balls during their matches.
"We are seeing that when they are batting, they bat really well and suddenly the ball starts doing things when India bowl. There have been 7-8 close DRS calls that have gone in their favour. The way Siraj and Shami were swinging the ball, it seemed like the ICC or the BCCI were giving them different and suspicious balls in the second innings. There needs to be an inspection done on the ball. There could also be an extra layer of coating on the ball for swing," Raza had said while speaking to a channel called ABN.
Earlier, in response to Raza’s allegations, even Pakistani legend Wasim Akram dismissed these claims, suggesting that such allegations were baseless and absurd. He humorously mentioned that he wanted to have whatever Raza was having because it seemed like fun, and he ridiculed his claims of ball tampering in international cricket, without naming the ex-cricketer in question.